Monster in the House!!

We have a monster in our house. No joke. It rears its ugly head at the most unexpected moments. You just never know when it will appear! When you are doing the dishes, you may hear a noise and look over and there it will be standing...........peering around a corner. You could be coming in from the laundry room, sitting down watching television....any time, any place.......it likes to surprise you. It does not come around every day, just every now and then..........just when you forget about it. Heck! It will even get you while you are in the bathroom brushing your teeth or washing your face....AND it does not discriminate. This monster takes just as much pleasure in scaring an innocent 3 year old child as he does a 45 year old man. It does not matter. I even managed to get a picture of him once:








Maybe we will send this monster your way sometime. No one knows who it is or where it came from, but we have noticed this..........when it appears........Tanner disappears. Strange coincidence, I guess. :)

Hump Day!

It is hard to believe that we brought Jordan out to the MTC a year ago. May 13, 2009, we brought him to Provo and left him there. It was very bittersweet. In one way it seems like it was so long ago and in another way it seems like it was just a month or two ago. We got to talk to him on Mother's Day. It was so nice! At this time he is in an area of Honduras called La Lima. His Spanish is pretty fluent now. He is happy and is learning so much. We look forward to getting his emails each Monday. It is a highlight of our week. It is amazing to see how much he is growing and learning. He says he would not trade his experiences for anything. His new goal is to become a scripture scholar. He is trying to make the most of this time of service. He loves the people of Honduras and wants them to learn of Jesus Christ and to enjoy the fullness of the Gospel. So, this is why it called "hump day"........one year down, one more to go! We love you, Jordan!

Happy Mother's Day!

I have truly been blessed to have such a wonderful mother (front, center). She has always been so supportive. She has such wisdom. I have always loved my mother, but not until I was grown did I realize how lucky I was to have her in my life. Whenever I have a problem, I usually go to her for advice. She always seems to just know what to do when problems arise. Her faith in the Lord is outstanding. She does not stress over things the way I do. Life has not always been easy for her, but still she is not bitter. I don't know how she learned to be such a wonderful mother for her own mother died when she was eleven years old. She has the patience of Job. If I can be just half the mother she is, I would still be a great mom. Thank you, Mom, for being my mom and teaching me what it feels like to be loved unconditionally. I love you!

I also want to thank my children for teaching me to love on a whole new level. There is nothing greater than being a mom. The pride (good pride, not "proud" pride, lol) a mother feels when her child learns something new, or accomplishes a new task is incredible. Holidays would not be as exciting without having excited children around. There is no greater joy than when your baby gets old enough to truly recognize you and shows excitement when he or she sees you!

Happy Mother's Day to all!!

Thankful Thursday (again)

Not a whole lot to say lately. However, I am so thankful for my children who have taught me to love deeper than I ever thought possible. The joy I feel to see my son out serving the Lord is indescribable. I am thankful for my children........even though sometimes the pain of being a mother can equal the joy.........I would not give up the joy. I love them with all my heart. They are such blessings to me. Children are truly a gift from God.

Thankful Thursday

Happy Birthday Zoe!

(Ugh! I have been trying to make this post since yesterday, but for some reason, blogger would not allow me to upload the pictures.)

Zoe had a birthday, shout hooray! So, we had a small celebration at her grandparent's house.
Although this is only the second birthday we have been able to celebrate with Zoe, she is 3 years old now! Zoe is a happy, loving girl who loves music! She may not know the all the words to the song, but she hums and tries to sing along. She loves chocolate too! ( Who says it's all about genes? LOL.) Zoe is fun to be around. She is kind to other children (ususally :-D ) and loves her family. We are so thankful to have her in our lives. We know without a doubt that she belongs in our family. Happy birthday, Zoe! We love you!!

I love the look on her face as she "reads" the card:

She has hardly put this toy down once since she got it. She loves it:

Happy 12th Birthday Tanner!

Twelve years ago today, a super neat guy came in to this world. He was the snuggliest, cuddliest baby. Everyone wanted to hold him. He won all of our hearts immediately and still owns them to this day. He is happy, humorous, smart and can play some pretty mean basketball. He loves science too. He loves Astronomy and may even be an astronaut some day. He has a very gentle, kind soul and he is full of faith in our Heavenly Father. I remember once when he was about 3 years old, he was finally invited to go with his dad to a Father and Son Campout. Oh how excited he was to finally get to go with Dad and the big boys! The weather looked as if it was not going to cooperate. He prayed and prayed that his big plans would not be ruined. A brother in our church still reminds us even today what happened next. He could see storm clouds and lightning in the distance from both directions but there seemed to be a clearing over their camp the whole time. If there ever was a need for something, our family joke was "have Tanner pray." To know him is to love him!

This year we had a small celebration at his grandparent's house. He requested Taco soup for dinner and the sinful "celestial cake." I think they call it that because if you eat it, you will go to heaven soon. Meaning it will clog your arteries! It is soooo good, but definitely not something you should eat every day.

Brailyn has a big heart and always gives away presents from her own toy collection. It has always been very touching how she will pick from her own toys to give to her brothers and sisters. Although, I am not sure how much Tanner appreciated a necklace and a pom pom. LOL We all got a good laugh though. Especially Tanner! Happy birthday Tanner. We love you!!